When dealing with the Otsutsuki clan, there's no concept of one-on-one duels, gentleman's agreements, or observing battles while others surrender half their strength.
Obito, Shisui, and Itachi spread out, constantly monitoring the combat situation, ready to unite and deliver a fatal blow to Kamishiki at any opportunity.
Totsuki and Naruto and the others were in similar positions, surrounding Ryushiki, prepared to provide support and engage in battle at any moment.
Suddenly, the space rippled slightly, as if an invisible, intangible barrier had enveloped a large area of the moon.
Kamishiki's pupils twitched inexplicably. Through his black Rinnegan vision, he saw an invisible membrane engulfing them. He felt the spatial fluctuations and an unseen pressure. He immediately shouted at Ryushiki, "Ryushiki, hold them off!"
Kamishiki no longer dared to underestimate them, having not expected so many people to be hidden within the small moon. Damn it!
Ryushiki did not feel the fluctuations of the Time-Space Barrier, but upon noticing Kamishiki's slightly panicked expression, he allowed the Wood Dragon to entangle his body.
"Hmm?"
Hashirama Senju frowned. He didn't understand why Ryushiki, who had clearly resisted the Wood Dragon's binding, would now give up. This was unlike the Otsutsuki.
Tightly bound and squeezed by the Wood Dragon, Ryushiki said softly, "You were able to kill Isshiki, so I admit you have some skill. But if it's purely about strength, even Isshiki wouldn't dare to confront me, Otsutsuki Ryushiki, head-on!"
"I am ultimate power, I will crush you, you mere insects!"
BOOM!
Ryushiki's Byakugan instantly turned deep crimson. His body grew to the size of a giant dragon in the blink of an eye. The Wood Dragon that had been entangling him was instantly torn apart. His dragon horns elongated by dozens of centimeters, and dense scales, like red dragon scales, covered his entire body. A red-scaled giant tail, tens of meters long, dragged across the ground, instantly creating cracks.
Then, Ryushiki roared to the sky. His enraged roar covered the entire battlefield, and the surging shockwaves of his aura shot straight into the heavens!
This was the transformation of Ryushiki, the being who surpassed Otsutsuki Isshiki in raw power.
"So ugly!"
Naruto couldn't help but mutter when he saw Ryushiki's transformed state.
Sasuke's expression was cold. At seventeen or eighteen, he usually wouldn't comment, but Ryushiki's post-transformation appearance was truly hard to describe.
His body was covered in scales, and he had dragon horns, but his limbs were still human-like. He bore no resemblance to a dragon; rather, he looked somewhat like a dinosaur.
"Get ready. His aura is unusual," Sasuke said, drawing the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi from his back. This was a weapon he had purchased from Orochimaru. As an Uchiha, he had to be skilled with a sword.
Ryushiki's transformation captured everyone's attention. A pressure descended, seemingly stronger than the Eight Gates' Death Gate.
Hashirama Senju retreated, his eyes solemn but filled with excitement. Though he yearned for peace, he also craved battles against strong opponents, a characteristic held by all powerful individuals.
"Hashirama, do you need me to step in?" Madara Uchiha's eyes flickered with eagerness upon seeing Ryushiki's transformation. Kamishiki, whom he was facing, had inexplicably become cautious, constantly evading with his black holes and refusing to engage him directly.
"Don't interfere, Madara, he's mine!"
"Tch!"
Madara scoffed and controlled four shadow clones to pursue Kamishiki again, hoping the latter would also transform for his amusement.
Ryushiki roared. After transforming, his temper seemed to become more volatile. He abruptly raised his claw-like, scaled hand and swiped at Hashirama.
"Good, you're here!"
Hashirama Senju clasped his hands together and struck! No hand seals were needed; whatever he called, it appeared!
"Sage Art: Wood Style: True Several Thousand Hands!"
As Hashirama Senju's strength had increased over the years, the Thousand-Armed Kannon statue had grown even larger. The thousands of arms behind it neared ten thousand, its power far surpassing its former might.
"True Several Thousand Hands!"
Without any pause, Hashirama Senju shouted, and thousands of giant hands slammed towards Ryushiki.
Even though they had seen Hashirama Senju's Wood Style many times, the scene still shocked Naruto and the others. They couldn't easily intervene in a battle of this scale; it wasn't a matter of strength, but the risk of accidentally harming allies.
"Fall back."
Shikamaru glanced back at Ryushiki, whose figure was submerged by the True Several Thousand Hands, a bad premonition stirring within him. His expression was grave.
"Totsuki, I have something to ask of you."
Totsuki looked back at the strategist of his male companion group and nodded silently. He trusted Shikamaru's words implicitly, but Naruto's words only half.
RUMBLE!
The impact of the giant fists continued for several minutes, shaking the moon itself and nearly deviating its rotational trajectory. However, there was no sound of Ryushiki's screams or him falling.
Hashirama Senju's eyes were solemn. An aura, like a beast released from its cage, gradually awoke from the dust. He quickly withdrew the "Top My Buddha" technique and shouted, "Buddha's Purification!"
Several massive red torii gates descended from the sky into the thick smoke. However, after just one second, crisp cracking sounds emanated from within the smoke, followed by a scaled hand piercing through the smoke and grasping at the Kannon statue, fragments of the Buddha's Purification still clinging to its arm.
The Buddha's Purification, which could even suppress the Ten-Tails, had been easily torn apart by Ryushiki!
Hashirama Senju was shocked but did not resign himself to fate. The thousands of Kannon arms behind him swung out again, their power undiminished.
"Do you think the same move will work again?"
Ryushiki's blood-red pupils emitted a red glow, and his body seemed to grow slightly larger. The scales on his body became even tougher. With a single punch, he shattered a large number of Kannon arms and then struck directly at the Kannon statue, repelling it hundreds of meters.
CRACK!
Cracks continuously spread across the Kannon statue. Hashirama Senju clasped his hands together, channeling all his chakra to repair it.
"It's useless! In terms of strength, I, Ryushiki, crush everything!"
With another flash of red light, his body grew even larger. With one punch, he smashed the left shoulder of the Kannon statue, tearing apart more than half of its arms. These were then reformed by Hashirama Senju's chakra.
"Heh heh heh, it's useless. The more you resist, the stronger I become!"
Ryushiki's eyes were filled with bestial desire. He pounced on the Kannon statue, constantly tearing at its body. Soon, the Kannon statue became dilapidated and swayed precariously.
"Hashirama!"
Seeing Hashirama Senju on the defensive and being pinned down, Madara Uchiha's eyes turned red. Only he, Madara Uchiha, could ride Hashirama!
No one else could!
Madara Uchiha immediately abandoned Kamishiki, who was evading him. His Rinnegan contracted fiercely, and an endless stream of deep blue chakra surged and enveloped him. Not only his true body but also the shadows surrounding him formed hand seals.
Five towering Perfect Susano'o materialized above the moon, each carrying four curved blades on their backs, resembling longswords.
"Rinne Sharingan: Susano'o!"
Five Susano'o wielding dual swords simultaneously soared into the sky, unleashing massive blue sword energy towards Ryushiki, who was pressing down on the Kannon statue.
"Rinne Sharingan: Susano'o: Dance of Two Blades!"
At the same time, Kamishiki, no longer pursued by Madara, used his black holes to hide in a corner. However, he could not escape the Time-Space Barrier.
"Damn it, why is the strength of these ants so different from other low-level planets."
"It's time to establish a passage..."
Just as Kamishiki was about to do something stealthily while Ryushiki occupied most people's attention, the scene before his eyes suddenly changed. The starry sky above transformed into a clear blue sky, and a breathtakingly beautiful woman with long, blue and white hair floated in the air, emanating killing intent towards him.
Then, a light laugh echoed. A handsome and gentle red-haired young man walked out of a luxurious palace, his lips red and teeth white, appearing harmless.
"Welcome to the Shinobi World. May I ask your name, honored guest?"